Table 2 Overview of intervention programme theory (N = 13 interventions)
Socio-ecological domain of theory | Intervention | Description of theory | Specified theories |
|---|---|---|---|
Intrapersonal | Equine-facilitated Psychotherapy [50] | Physical and mental development: Horse’s rhythm and riding linked with the mental and physical developmental process | None |
Interpersonal | Therapeutic alliance: Relationship with horse provides healing experience. Important for building trust with ‘other’ and establishing interpersonal skills | Therapeutic alliance | |
Intrapersonal | Positive Youth Development: Need to develop prosocial, behavioural and emotional skills Resilience theory: Promote adaptive functioning to increase resiliency | Attachment; Positive Youth Development; Resilience; Social Learning Theory | |
Interpersonal | Attachment: Challenging relationship histories can reduce mentoring responsiveness Positive Youth Development: Need to develop prosocial relationships as a template for future relationships Resilience theory: Promotes adaptive functioning Social Learning Theory: Importance of modelling to develop prosocial relationships | ||
Intrapersonal | SuppOrting Looked after children In Decreasing Drugs, and alcohol (SOLID) [72] | Motivational interviewing: Behavioural and cognitive strategies to support change and remove ambivalence towards substance use | Motivational interviewing |
Interpersonal | Social network support: Important in supporting young people to deal with problem behaviours and attain goals | None | |
Interpersonal | Early Intervention Foster Care (EIFC) [56] | Delayed maturation: Challenges of children due to delayed maturation. Intervention provides optimal environment to facilitate developmental progress | None |
Interpersonal | Foster carer training [61] | Behavioural management skills: Parent management training informed by a constructive rather than pathological approach to operant conditioning, which theorises that behaviour can be learned through a system of reward and punishment | Operant conditioning |
Interpersonal | Attachment Theory: Care-experienced young people develop mistrust and insecurity because of absent biological caregiver Social Learning Theory: Background context theory referenced but not explained | Attachment; Social Learning Theory | |
Interpersonal | Incredible Years [60] | Social Learning Theory: Requirement to alter negative parenting behaviours (e.g. shouting or physical behaviours) modelled to children | Social Learning Theory |
Interpersonal | Mentoring intervention for teenage pregnancy [59] | Attachment: Need for positive and responsive attachments between the child and caregiver (or mentor and mentee) Social Learning Theory: Behaviours learned through the modelling and observation of others | Attachment; Social Learning Theory |
Interpersonal | Pathways Home [54] | Encouragement-based parenting: Need to develop parenting practices based on encouragement | None |
Interpersonal | Keeping Foster Carers Trained and Supported (KEEP) [53, 62, 71] | Social Learning Theory: Background context theory referenced but not explained | Social Learning Theory |
Organisational/ Community | Generic System Change: Cascading dissemination model to support local system capacity | ||
Interpersonal | Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) | Coercion theory: Need to prevent negative and coercive interactions between child and their carer and/or peers Resilience: Focus on positive, asset-based development Social Learning Theory/Positive Youth Development: Background context theory referenced but not explained Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy: Carers need to understand and respond to causes of trauma | Coercion Theory; Resilience; Social Learning Theory; Positive Youth Development; Trauma- focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy |
Organisational/ Community | Generic system change: Rolling cohort model that commences with learning from small-scale implementation and then applied to wider system | None | |
Interpersonal | Treatment Foster Care (TFC) [57, 63] / Together Facing the Challenge (TFTC) [55] | Role enactment: Encourages carer affiliation with role of parent to support adherence with delivery Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Carers need to understand and respond to causes of trauma Therapeutic alliance: Relationships between the treatment parent and child is therapeutic and the therapeutic relationship provides an environment for positive change Ecological Context Model: Intervention nested within larger supra-system of influence that impacts effectiveness: foster carer skills and parenting; contact with biological parents; and relationship with peer group | Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; Therapeutic Alliance; Ecological Context Model |
Organisational/ Community | Ecological Context Model: Intervention nested within larger supra-system: lack of educational resources, integration and continuity; delivery agency structure and professionals; funding and access to social services; and young people’s integration into community | ||
Organisational | Children and Residential Experiences (CARE) [73] | Generic system change: Need to transform organisational ethos and culture to create alignment with attachment / relationship-based approach | Attachment; Ainsworth Maternal Sensitivity |